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West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan said on December 6 that though the state was 'investor friendly,' land acquisition was still an issue. However, the issue was being 'looked into by the Government, Narayanan told the media on the sidelines of Infocom 2012 � an annual IT summit and conference � organised in Kolkata.

Industrialists in the State have often raised the issues of problem in land acquisition and questioned the Government’s hands-off policy in this regard. The State Government has already made it clear that private companies will have to purchase land on their own if they decide to set up manufacturing units in the State.

However, the State is willing to grant concession under Sec 14Y of the Land Reforms Act in case the industrialist holds land above the permissible ceiling limit of 24 acres in rural areas.

Meanwhile, interacting with major IT-players, Narayanan added that although IT-enabled services have created a boom in the country; India is fast losing its competitiveness to other Asian nations. Moreover, the absence of research and development is also hampering its growth.